Power outages are becoming more common in the U.S., driven by severe weather, winter storms, hurricanes, and wildfires linked to climate change. Between 2014 and 2023, the frequency of power outages grew by 9%, while their duration increased by 56%. Over half of U.S. counties experienced at least one outage lasting more than eight hours between 2018 and 2021, raising concerns about public safety and health.
These outages can threaten the lives of medical device users, leading to medical emergencies. Most home medical devices rely on backup batteries that last only 3 to 8 hours, leaving vulnerable individuals at risk during extended outages. Studies have shown a 25% rise in disease-related deaths during a three-day blackout, such as the one that occurred in New York City in August 2003.
Energy insecurity among medical device users is deeply tied to income, housing type, and race. Approximately 60% of medically dependent households are financially stable homeowners with backup generators, while about 20% struggle to pay energy bills but still have backup power sources. Conversely, the smallest group, roughly 7%, consists of low-income urban renters with almost no backup resources, highlighting the disparities in access to reliable energy.
Nearly 58% of at-risk renters received a disconnection notice from their utility within the previous year, underscoring the vulnerability of these households. The North American Electric Reliability Corp. is drafting new standards for large artificial intelligence computing hubs to prevent power outages, as AI’s peak power requirements could reach 50 gigawatts by 2030, according to an analysis by the Electric Power Research Institute.
A recent incident in Virginia in 2024 highlighted the risks of cascading outages due to sudden power demand loss from data centers. Julia Matevosyan noted, “If it’s just one data center, it’s fine. But if you have multiples of them in close proximity, and they all get hit — they all ‘disappear’ — that massively exacerbates the initial loss.”
As the frequency and duration of power outages continue to rise, officials and observers are calling for improved infrastructure and better planning to mitigate these risks. The emergence of gigawatt-scale loads may create exponential complications for study, planning, and operations, necessitating urgent attention from policymakers and energy providers.
